Having Taken These Hostile Steps Against The Rebels, It Necessarily Followed That No Advantage Would Accrue From Any Further Hesitation With Regard To Allowing Europeans To Enter The Imperial Service For The Purpose Of Opposing Them. Ward Was Officially Recognized, And Allowed To Purchase Weapons And To Engage Officers.

An Englishman contracted to convey 9,000 of the troops who had stormed Ganking from the Yangtse to Shanghai.

These men were Honan braves, who had seen considerable service in the interior of China, and it was proposed that they should garrison the towns of Kiangsu accordingly as they were taken from the rebels. The arrival of General Staveley from Tientsin at the end of March, with portions of two English regiments (the 31st and 67th), put a new face on affairs, and showed that the time was at hand when it would be possible to carry out the threat of clearing the country round Shanghai for the space of thirty miles.

The first place to be attacked toward the realization of this plan was the village of Wongkadza, about twelve miles west of Shanghai. Here the Taepings offered only a brief resistance, retiring to some stronger stockades four miles further west. General Staveley, considering that his men had done enough work for that day, halted them, intending to renew the attack the next morning. Unfortunately Ward was carried away by his impetuosity, and attacked this inner position with some 500 of his own men. Admiral Hope accompanied him. The Taepings met them with a tremendous fire, and after several attempts to scale the works they were repulsed with heavy loss.

Enter page number Go  Previous Next
Page 515 of 704
Words from 140065 to 140334 of 191255